Providence by Dwa-vi Deslouches (best e books to read txt) 📕

         Chris stopped the boys bleeding and had given the girl a healing tonic to counter the paralyzing effects of a stalker porcupine quill. He was mentally and physically tired and slightly reluctant to leave the clearing near the cave though he knew that there were stalkers inside. After about two hours the girl regained consciousness rolling onto her side and groaning. Chris moved slowly so as not to startle her and touched her shoulder. She jumped away like she had been burned and landed crouched for another leap.

         “Hold on a second I’m a friend” Chris cooed calmly putting his hands up in a placating gesture “I helped you and your friend”. She took a second before calming down and inspecting him suspiciously. Finally she asked, “Who are you?” Chris nodded, happy that she was speaking to him, and answered, “My name is Christopher Palstine but my friends just call me Chris.” Karin nodded to herself and relaxed a little bit.

         “My name is Karin” She supplied “This guy is Enoch and I’m sure you met Xzander.” Chris gave her a puzzled look and she felt a cold numbness tingling at the base of her spine working its way up.

         “Who is Xzander?” Chris queried. The girl, Karin, took a moment to reply and Chris could tell she was on the verge of collapse again.

         “He’s a good friend of mine” she whispered, “He came in to get me”. The last words she spoke were almost imperceptible before she slumped over unconscious again. Chris frowned to himself. He had not seen another person in there. He had only seen monsters and destruction before pulling the two out. The boy muttering in his unconscious state interrupted Chris’s thoughts. He pulled a wooden flute from his cloak and played a soft woodland tune. As if answering his call a flock light blue birds with golden eyes settled in the trees around the three kids. Chris stopped playing and called to them saying, “Watch these two please I have something to attend to in that cave.” The birds made no movement of recognition but Chris entered the cave knowing they would follow his order.

         Inside the cave Xzander was just awaking from his unconsciousness. He sat up quickly and instantly regretted the decision. His vision swam and his throat and lungs felt like they were on fire. Nevertheless he held himself up and began surveying the damage to his own body first. He felt in his mouth that the fangs he had developed were still going down and that he the bumps on his back from the wings were still shrinking. His right arm was cold to the touch and his left was hot. Slowly he picked himself off of the ground and fought off the rolling waves of nausea that invited him back into a dreamless slumber. Xzander heard shuffling feet coming from behind him and turned around quickly to view his assailant. In his murky vision Xzander could make out only minor details. The figure wore all white and in his right hand he held a book. In his left he held a staff topped off with an Aquelian crystal sphere.

         Chris looked on smugly as Xzander peered at him in confusion. He said nothing but stood there relishing in his thoughts. I could kill him right now, kill him and have Michael promote me. Reluctantly dismissing those thoughts Chris walked over to Xzander and held him steady. Xzander recoiled slightly at the touch before feeling the warmth of healing magic spread from the contact to the rest of his body. Soon Xzander’s vision improved and he stood in slight shock before regaining himself.

         “Hello brother” Xzander said casually “What brings you here?” Chris eyed him coldly and ignored him. “I heard that Michael demoted you recently” Xzander commented with mock innocence “are you okay with that?” Chris took his hand off of Xzander’s shoulder and immediately Xzander felt his weariness flow over him again.

         “I can’t kill you but I don’t have to heal you either.” Chris whispered in a cold fury “and yes Archangel Michael demoted me to watcher”. Xzander stared at him and then burst into mocking laughter.

         “He demoted you?” Xzander asked incredulously “You who have always despised me for being nothing are now but an official form of nothing!” Chris seethed with this insult and the air in the cavern grew cold to the point that the stone was frosting. Xzander however appeared unaffected by the cold as a ring around him melted the ice and his breath was not even misted. For a long moment they stood there, the air charged with energy, before the room began to warm and Chris composed himself.

         “Do not mock me” Chris warned “For when your death is ordered I will be the one to carry out the mission.” Containing his own fury Xzander took a final poke at Chris’ pride.

         “I’m not inclined to believe that Michael would send one watcher after me but I do look forward to it.” Xzander cooed slyly before moving for the door. Immediately he regretted that decision. The world spun and he felt bile rising in his throat. He fought to keep his earlier lunch down and staggered over to lean on a wall. Chris laughed spitefully and turned on his heel for the cave exit.

         “Maybe I should tell that Milarian girl what you are” Chris mocked “ tell her that this whole time she’s had eyes for a half angel… and a half demon.”

Karin woke again, feverish this time and covered in dirt. Her head was pounding as if under attack by a battering ram and her neck burned severely. She rolled from her position crawled a few feet away from Enoch and was violently ill. Shuddering she crawled back to Enoch and dropped onto her back. She lay still for a few seconds regaining her strength and composure before she sat up again. The sight that greeted her was garish. Her left arm was badly broken, bending in the wrong direction and swollen. Her ribs were bruised and she felt the warm tickle of blood on her left temple and the back of her head. Gasping at her arm wound she turned away and came to the understanding of why she had crawled. She couldn’t move one arm. Looking over at Enoch to get her mind off of the wound she noticed several different things about him. A long jagged scar ran across his now bare chest from his left shoulder down to near his naval. Other scars crisscrossed his body and burn marks were also evident in some places. A new addition to his collection a portion of his body was covered in green wrappings. The center of this wrapping was beginning to run burgundy with blood seeping through it and Karin began to panic. Blood ran from his mouth in a trickle forming a puddle beside him and his breathing was ragged and irregular. He has a punctured lung, Karin thought in a panic. Her breathing came more quickly now as she tried to think of what she could do in her state. She stared down at her arm and a plan formed quickly and out of desperation. Karin dragged herself to her feet and staggered over to a boulder in the clearing. She placed her good right hand on the rock and muttered a half prayer half incantation. Part of the rock appeared to melt before forming into two granite rods in her hand. She put them down and drew a deep breath before grabbing her own left arm and wrenching it forward. The arm snapped forward with a cracking sound before a popping sound. Karin cried out in pain crumbling to the ground and bursting into tears of agony. Her head swam and her mouth watered, she had never before experienced pain like this, not even when the magma bee swarm attacked her it was not this agonizing. Slowly she pulled herself from the oblivion of the pain. Karin lifted the rods from the ground and used her good arm to rip a piece of cloth from her cape. She lashed the rods onto her arm with the cloth before ripping two more and tying those into place as well. With her arm casted she staggered back to Enoch and assessed the situation. She removed the wrappings from his wound and recoiled at the sight. The wound was the size of a grown man’s fist and the edges were tinted purple, the veins turning green. Karin placed both hands on the wound, lifting her left arm using her right and placed them on the wound. The skin was sticky, clammy even, and icy cold around the wound. She chanted a songlike prayer in nymphilian and let her mind go blank. She closed her eyes and instantly a wave of dizziness hit her. When she opened her eyes she was standing in a town inside of a tree. Around her people walked purposefully in a wave to their various places. She looked down on herself and saw that her left arm was healed, along with her bruises and cuts. Inspecting her surroundings Karin noted the bright colors of the buildings. The ocean blues and the blood reds, the grassy greens and the harvest yellows. The people around her wore drab clothes with dull jewels and worn boots. Trying to get a better view of her surroundings and some information Karin slipped between people and weaved her way toward what appeared to be a three-story inn. Striding into the entrance she quickly took stock of the situation. The inn was dimly lit and the noise from outside had ceased entirely when she entered the building. Karin reopened the door to find nothing but empty streets and dilapidated buildings. The once brilliantly painted houses lying in a state of ruin and the cozy throng of people was lost, replaced by the desolate whispering of the winds through the dead roads.

         Karin closed the door and looked around. Stalls lined the walls of the inn and three bench tables took up space in the middle of the room. The innkeeper, wrapped in his cape and cowl, stood at the bar silently. To her right Karin could see a candle was lit and a man was sitting clutching his drink. She approached him and stood silently for a moment before addressing him.

         “Would you happen to know a man by the name of Enoch?” She asked briskly as she approached the figure. The man turned and Karin sighed a breath of relief. It was Enoch and he was seemingly unharmed. A fearful look filled his eyes and he whispered, “Don’t say my name it’s listening.” Karin looked around for a monster but spotted none before turning back to Enoch bewildered. He gave a slight nod to the bartender and motioned for Karin to sit next to him. Slowly fear began